Directions:1. Mix the sugar and salt with the hot water. Stir until dissolved. (Let the liquid cool before pouring over the cucumbers.)2. Add the vinegar and pickling spices to the liquid.3. Slice the cucumbers and put the slices in jars.4. Add the dill and garlic cloves.5. Pour the liquid into the jars.6. Seal the jars and store in the refrigerator.

This recipe made enough for two jars of pickles. They looked so pretty and Martha Stewart-like in their jars that I was almost ready to call it a success before I even tasted them, just because they looked so nice! Those pickles looked so good, we only waited a day before we started tasting but the flavor gets stronger if you wait a week or so at least. Crispy just like I them and with a lot of bite! I can tell these pickles won't last long and I'll be making more. They are so easy and yummy and I'd love to share them with friends too!

A Peck of Pickled Peppers!

Pickled Peppers

fresh peppers (or do everything the same and replace with CSA carrots or beets or both!) sterile glass jars, sized appropriately to hold the number of peppers that you have.

1. Prepare the jar of peppers. Stem your washed peppers and slice them into thin discs. Arrange them in the glass jar. I used sweet mini peppers and jalapenos, layering them out of vanity.

2. Then make the brine. Use a non-reactive saucepan. Add all other ingredients and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Combine and cool. Remove the brine from the heat and pour over the peppers into the jar. Transfer all seasonings as well. Cover the jar and set it aside to cool. Refrigerate.

Pickled peppers will be ready as soon as they’ve fully cooled, 2-3 hours. I’m told that keeping these refrigerated for a week improves the flavor, but mine have never lasted more than a day or two. Keep in mind that the method described above is not a sterile preserving method and that you should handle and consume these pickles the same way you would fresh food.